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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

SpaceX to launch upgraded Falcon 9 on first GEO transfer mission

SpaceX is set to launch the SES-8 telecommunications satellite for the satellite provider SES on Monday (Nov. 25).

The satellite will launch aboard a Falcon 9.1.1 rocket from SpaceX's Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch window opens at 4:37 p.m. CST (2237 GMT).

In this flight, the Falcon 9 rocket will deliver the SES-8 satellite to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO). If all goes as planned, SES-8 will be deployed into its geosynchronous transfer orbit approximately 33 minutes after liftoff.

This mission will be the first Falcon 9 launch to a geosynchronous transfer orbit, delivering the satellite to a 295 by 80,000 km orbit at 20.75 degrees inclination.

The hybrid Ku- and Ka-band satellite will provide communications coverage of the South Asia and Asia Pacific regions. Co-located with NSS-6 at SES's 95 degrees East orbital slot, its high performance beams will support rapidly growing markets in South Asia and Indo-China, as well as provide expansion capacity for direct-to-home, very small aperture terminal and government applications.

The 6,918-lbs (3,138 kg) satellite is expected to provide 5 kilowatts of power to its payload of 33 Ku-band transponders.

Robert Pearlman

SpaceX SES-8 launch delayed to Thanksgiving

A telemetry glitch and an "off-nominal condition" with the first stage liquid oxygen pressurization system forced SpaceX to scrub Monday (Nov. 25) its planned launch of an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on its first mission to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The next attempt will be on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, at 5:38 p.m. EST (2238 GMT).

(According to Spaceflight Now, the Federal Aviation Administration did not approve launch attempts on Tuesday or Wednesday to avoid interfering with two of the busiest travel days of the year.)

Robert Pearlman

SpaceX aborts Thanksgiving day launch attempt

SpaceX's countdown to launching its first geosynchronous transfer mission reached T-minus 0 on Thursday (Nov. 28), but the company's upgraded Falcon 9 rocket topped with the SES-8 telecommunications satellite never left the launch pad.

Trouble with the Falcon's nine first stage Merlin engines forced an abort moments after ignition.

"Launch aborted by autosequence due to slower than expected thrust ramp," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter.

After recycling the countdown, a second launch attempt ended in a manual abort being called at T-minus 48 seconds, as engineers ran out of time to analyze what had happened to cause the earlier engine cutoff.

"We called manual abort," Musk tweeted. "Better to be paranoid and wrong."

After scrubbing for the day, Musk said a next launch attempt might be "in a few days." SpaceX is now targeting Saturday Tuesday (Dec. 3).

Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at 5:41 PM Eastern Time. Approximately 185 seconds into flight, Falcon 9's second stage's single Merlin vacuum engine ignited to begin a five minute, 20 second burn that delivered the SES-8 satellite into its parking orbit. Eighteen minutes after injection into the parking orbit, the second stage engine relit for just over one minute to carry the SES-8 satellite to its final geostationary transfer orbit. The restart of the Falcon 9 second stage is a requirement for all geostationary transfer missions.

"The successful insertion of the SES-8 satellite confirms the upgraded Falcon 9 launch vehicle delivers to the industry's highest performance standards," said Elon Musk, CEO and Chief Designer of SpaceX. "As always, SpaceX remains committed to delivering the safest, most reliable launch vehicles on the market today. We appreciate SES's early confidence in SpaceX and look forward to launching additional SES satellites in the years to come."

Today's mission marked SpaceX's first commercial launch from its central Florida launch pad and the first commercial flight from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in over five years. SpaceX has nearly 50 launches on manifest, of which over 60% are for commercial customers.

This launch also marks the second of three certification flights needed to certify the Falcon 9 to fly missions for the U.S. Air Force under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. When Falcon 9 is certified, SpaceX will be eligible to compete for all National Security Space (NSS) missions.